Folding attachment for sewing machines



March 31, 1942, R. J. sAlLER FOLDING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed April 9, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 31,1942. M, SAIL'ER 2,278,042

FOLDING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed A ril 9, 1940 2 sheets-sheet 2 3! v 35 31 30 I 3 6' 5 ZF 26 F596, Rudolph J.Sazler Patented Mar. 31, 1942 FOLDING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Rudolph J. Sailor, Townley, N. J.,- assignor to The Singer Manufacturing Company, Elizabeth, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application April 9, 1940, Serial No. 328,659

12 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in folders for sewing machines, and more particularly to a shirt-plait folder which is so constructed that the plait itself may be made integral with the body-material of the shirt.

In the production of shirts from heavy woolen materials which vary somewhat in thickness, depending upon quality, it is necessary for appearance sake that each shirt have a center-plait of uniform width and that the tuck or reentrant fold of the center-plait contain the same amount of material throughout the length of the shirtfront.

It is therefore the primary object of the present invention to provide a folder of the above type having means whereby the capacity of the folder can be adjusted in accordance with the thickness of the material passing therethrough, and whereby the amount of material in the reentrant fold can be selected, and once selected, effectively controlled.

In the drawings, which show by way of illustration one embodiment of the invention:

Fig. l is a top plan view of a center-plait folder with a fragmentary portion of the finished shirt-plait adjacent the delivery end of the folder.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the receiving end of the folder.

Fig. 3 is a left side elevation showing the position of the fabric-folding blade.

Fig, 4 is a bottom plan view, partly in section, showing the means by which the supplemental fabric-folding section can be laterally adjusted.

Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the delivery end of the folder.

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal vertical section taken substantially along the line 66, Fig. 1.

Figs. 7 and 8 are transverse sectional views of the blufi shirt-center, showing reentrant folds having different amounts of material therein, depending upon the adjustment of the folder.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, in Figs. '7 and 8 there is shown a so-called bluff shirt-center formed from a body-material I folded to provide a tuck or reentrant fold 2 terminating in a facing strip 3 having an inturned marginal portion 4. The bluff shirt-center is adapted to be attached by two parallel lines of stitching 5 and 6 upon a lining strip 1 having its marginal edges inturned about a reinforcing strip 8. The lining strip 1 and the reinforcing strip 8 are presented to the stitching mechanism of the sewing machine by a suitable folder (not shown in the present drawings) located beneath the conventional sewing machine cloth-plate. The present invention has to do with the folder for forming the bluff shirt-center and therefore the following description will concern that folder only.

The center-plait folder consists of a metal body-portion 9, adapted to be supported for lateral adjustment upon the sewing machine clothplate by a shank 9', and having an upper wall I0 and a lower wall or arbor-section H defining between them a fabric-guiding passage I2. At the receiving end of the folder (Fig. 2) the fabric-guiding passage I2 is of substantially inverted U-shape, and as it progresses toward the delivery end of the folder the body-portion 9 becomes more flattened until at the delivery end (Fig. 5), the upper wall I0 is bent inwardly beneath the arbor-section ll along one side to provide an inturned marginal fabric-guiding passage I3 for infolding the marginal portion 4 of the shirtcenter. Along the other side of the body-portion of the folder, the upper wall Ill is curved, as at [4, about the arbor-section II to assist in making the upper portion of the reentrant fold 2 of the shirt-center. Forming a continuation of the curved edge M is a fabric-folding blade l5 preferably supported, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, upon a lateral extension I6 integral with the upper wall It) and positioned below the effective work-folding portion of the arbor-section l I. To provide for lateral adjustment of the fabricfolding blade l5, thereby to regulate the amount of material used in the reentrant fold, the blade is adapted to pivot about the screw ll threaded into the extension l6 and be maintained in the desired position of adjustment by the clampscrew l8 passing through the elongated slot l9 in the blade 15 and threaded into the extension 5.. A thumb-stud 20 secured to the blade l5 facilitates the shifting thereof.

Cooperating with the inner edge E5 of the fabric-folding blade is the curved or upturned fabric-guiding wall 2!, see Fig. 5, formed along the inner margin of the fabric-supporting apron 22. The function of this upturned guiding wall 2| is to force the material to hug the inner edge E5 of the fabric-folding blade and thereby effectively control the amount of material used to form the reentrant fold 2 of the shirt center. Without the upturned guiding wall 2!, it will be understood that no means would be provided for insuring that the material in its passage through the folder would hug the inner edge E5 of the fabric-folding blade, and in the absence of such means a varying amount of material would be included in the reentrant fold. A variation in the uniformity of the shirt-center impairs the quality of the finished garment.

Since the fabric-folding blade I5 is laterally adjustable to accommodate materials of different thickness, the upturned guiding wall 2| is likewise adjustable in order that its relationship with the inner edge l5 of the fabric-folding blade can be maintained. Adjacent the receiving end of the folder, Figs. 2 and 4, the fabricsupporting apron 22 is fulcrumed upon a pivotstud 23 which is threaded into a supporting extension 24 integral with the horizontal limb 25 of the arbor-section H. The apron 22 rests upon the horizontal limb 25 of the arbor-section throughout the entire length of the folder. Adjacent the delivery end of the folder, see Fig. 4, the upturned guiding wall 2| has secured thereto a lug 26 projecting through a clearance opening 26' in the arbor-section H and having formed therein an inclined cam-slot 21 entered by the head of a stud-screw 28 threaded into an endwise shiftable slide 29. The slide is slotted, as at 30, to receive two guide-screws 3| threaded into a bracket 32 soldered or otherwise attached beneath the arbor-section ll of the folder. At one end the slide 29 is upturned and has threaded thereinto an adjusting screw 33 shouldered to receive the bifurcated vertical limb of an anglebracket 34 whose horizontal limb is rigidly secured to an extension 35 soldered to the depending sides of the arbor-section The adjusting screw 33, which is readily accessible from the receiving end of the folder by means of a screwdriver, is restrained against endwise displacement by the angle-bracket 34. Turning of the screw shifts the slide 29 lengthwise of the folder and, through the stud 28 and the cam-slot 21, the shifting of the slide turns the upturned guiding wall 2| horizontally about the pivot-stud 23 to a proper position relative to the fabric-folding blade l5.

From the above description it will be understood that when it is desired to adjust the center-plait folder to accommodate work of a certain thickness, firstly, the fabric-folding blade I5 is adjusted to a position so that the left hand needle of the sewing machine will penetrate the fabric forming the reentrant fold and, secondly, the upturned guiding wall 2| is adjusted to define a fabric passageway such that the work folded about the fabric-folding blade |5 will be maintained in contact with the blade. With the attachment so adjusted, the amount of material in the tuck or reentrant fold can be accurately controlled.

While the fabric-folding blade I5 is disclosed as a separated and distinct element adjustably fastened upon the upper wall-section II], it is to be understood that the fabric-folding blade may be formed integral with the upper wall-section, the upturned guiding wall 2| being the only portion of the folder which is adjustable. When constructed in this manner, the amount of fabric used to form the reentrant fold in the centerplait is predetermined, but the capacity of the folder can be conveniently regulated to accommodate fabrics of different thicknesses by shifting the upturned guiding wall 2| toward or away from the inner edge l5 of the fabric-folding blade l5 through manipulation of the adjusting screw 33.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention what I claim herein is:

1. A center-plait folder for sewing machines comprising, an arbor-section, an upper wall-section spaced from said arbor-section and extending about both the opposite edges of and below said arbor-section to direct and infold the marginal portions of a center-plait, a fabric-folding blade disposed below the arbor-section and forming a continuation of one side of said upper wallsection to provide an edge about which the fab-' ric is folded to form the reentrant fold of the center-plait, and means for adjustably supporting said fabric-folding blade for lateral adjustment relative to said upper wall-section in order that the amount of fabric forming the reentrant fold can be varied.

2. A center-plait folder for sewing machines comprising, an arbor-section, an upper wall-section spaced from said arbor-section and extending about the opposite edges of and below said arbor-section to direct and infold the marginal portions of a center-plait, a fabric-folding blade disposed below the arbor-section and forming a continuation of one side of said upper wall-section to provide an edge extending beneath said arbor-section at one side thereof and about which the fabric is folded to form the reentrant fold of the center-plait, and means for supporting said fabric-folding blade for adjustment about a vertical axis relative to said upper wallsection in order that the amount of fabric forming the reentrant fold can be varied.

3. A center-plait folder for sewing machines comprising, an arbor-section, a wall-section spaced from said arbor-section and defining therewith a fabric-guiding passageway shaped to inturn the marginal edges of the center-plait, a fabric-folding blade extending beneath one side of said arbor-section and having an inner edge about which the fabric is folded to form the reentrant fold of the oenter-plait, means for supporting said fabric-folding blade for limited lateral adjustment, a curved fabric-guiding wall spaced from and cooperating with the inner edge of said fabric-folding blade to forcibly fold the fabric about said inner edge, and means adjustably supporting said curved fabric-guiding wall so that the proper relationship between said inner edge and said curved fabric-guiding wall can be maintained.

4. A center-plait folder for sewing machines comprising, an arbor-section, an upper wallsection spaced from said arbor-section to define therewith a fabric-guiding passageway adapted to inturn the marginal edges of the center-plait, a fabric-folding blade having an inner edge disposed beneath .said arbor-section adjacent the delivery end of the fabric-guiding passageway and cooperating with said arbor-section to form the reentrant fold of the center-plait, means on said upper wall-section for supporting said fabric-folding blade for lateral adjustment, a curved fabric-guiding wall spaced from and cooperating with the inner edge of said fabricfolding blade to forcibly fold the fabric about said inner edge, and means for adjustably supporting said curved fabric-guiding wall on said arbor-section so that the proper relationship between said inner edge and said curved fabricguiding wall can be maintained.

5. A center-plait folder for sewing machines comprising, an arbor-section, an upper wall-section spaced from said arbor-section to define therewith a fabric-guiding passageway adapted to inturn the marginal edges of the center-plait, a fabric-folding blade having an inner edge disposed beneath said arbor-section adjacent the delivery end of the fabric-guiding passageway and cooperating with said arbor-section to form the reentrant fold of the center-plait, an extension on said upper-wall section, and means for adjusta-bly mounting said fabric-folding blade upon said extension in order that the amount of fabric forming the reentrant fold can be varied.

6. A center-plait folder for sewing machines comprising, an arbor-section, an upper wall-section spaced from said arbor-section to define therewith a fabric-guiding passageway adapted to inturn the marginal edges of the center-plait, a'fabric-folding blade having an inner edge disposed beneath said arbor-section adjacent the delivery end of the fabric-guiding passageway and cooperating with said arbor-section to form the reentrant fold of the center-plait, an extension on said upper wall-section supporting said fabric-folding blade, a screw pivotally securing said fabric-folding blade upon said extension, and a clamp-screw for locking said fabricfolding blade in the selected position of adjustment.

7. A center-plait folder for sewing machines comprising, an arbor-section, a wall-section spaced from said arbor-section and defining therewith a fabric-guiding passageway shaped to inturn the marginal edges of the center-plait, said wall-section providing an edge disposed below the arbor-section and about which the fabric is folded to form the reentrant fold of the center-plait, a curved fabric-guiding wall disposed beneath said arbor-section and cooperating with said edge to forcibly fold the fabric about the same, and means for supporting said curved fabric-guiding wall for adjustment relative to said edge to adapt the folder to accommodate fabrics of various thicknesses.

8. A center-plait folder for sewing machines comprising, an arbor-section, a wall-section spaced from said arbor-section and having marginal portions thereof extending about the opposite edges of said arbor-section to direct and infold the marginal portions of a center-plait, a curved fabric-guiding wall disposed beneath said arbor-section and complemental to one marginal portion of said wall-section to form the reentrant fold of the center-plait, means for adjustably supporting said curved fabric-guiding wall for movement relative to the complemental marginal portion of said wall-section to adapt the folder to accommodate fabrics of various thicknesses, and means for shifting said curved fabricguiding wall relative to the complemental marginal portion of said wall-section.

9. A center-plait folder for sewing machines comprising, an arbor-section, a wall-section spaced from said arbor-section and defining therewith a fabric-guiding passageway shaped to inturn the marginal edges of the center-plait, a fabric-folding blade having an inner edge disposed beneath said arbor-section adjacent the delivery end of the fabric-guiding passageway and cooperating with said arbor-section to form the re-entrant fold of the center-plait, means for supporting said fabric-folding blade for limited lateral adjustment, a curved fabric-guiding wall spaced from and cooperating with the inner edge of said fabric-folding blade, means for pivotally supporting said curved fabric-guiding wall for movement toward or away from the inner edge of said fabric-folding blade, and means including a slide shiftable lengthwise of the arbor-section by an adjusting screw for turning the curved fabricguiding wall about its pivot to maintain the proper relationship between said inner edge and said curved fabric-guiding wall.

10. A center-plait folder for sewing machines comprising, an arbor-section, a wall-section spaced from said arbor-section and defining therewith a fabric-guiding passageway shaped to inturn the marginal edges of the center-plait, a fabric-folding blade having an inner edge disposed beneath said arbor-section adjacent the delivery end of the fabric-guiding passageway and cooperating with said arbor-section to form the reentrant fold of the center-plait, means for supporting said fabric-folding blade for limited lateral adjustment, a curved fabric-guiding wall spaced from and cooperating with the inner edge of said fabric-folding blade, means for pivotally supporting said curved fabric-guiding wall for movement toward or away from the inner edge of said fabric-folding blade, means for turning said curved fabric-guiding wall about its pivot including a projecting lug having a cam-slot formed therein, a stud received in said cam-slot and threaded into a slide, and an adjusting screw threaded into said slide for shifting the same lengthwise of the folder.

11. A center-plait folder for sewing machines comprising, an arbor-section, a wall section spaced from said arbor-section and defining therewith a fabric-guiding passageway shaped to inturn the marginal edges of the center-plait, a fabric-folding blade having an inner edge disposed beneath said arbor-section adjacent the delivery end of the fabric-guiding passageway and cooperating with said arbor-section to form the reentrant fold of the center-plait, a fabricsupporting apron fulcrumed upon said arborsection and having formed along one margin thereof an upturned guiding wall opposed to the inner edge of said fabric-folding blade, and means for shifting said upturned guiding wall towards or away from said fabric-folding blade about said apron-fulcrum to vary the capacity of the folder.

12. A center-plait folder for sewing machines comprising, an arbor-section, an upper wall-section spaced from said arbor-section and extending about both the opposite edges of and below said arbor-section to direct and infold the marginal portions of a center-plait, a fabric-folding blade disposed below said arbor-section and forming a continuation of one side, of said upper wall-section to provide an inner edge about which the fabric is folded to form the reentrant fold of the center-plait, means for supporting said fabric-folding blade for lateral adjustment relative to said arbor-section, a curved fabricguiding wall disposed below said arbor-section and opposed to the inner edge of said fabricfolding blade to forcibly fold the fabric about said inner edge, means for adjustably supporting said curved fabric-guiding wall so that the proper space relationship between said inner edge and said curved fabric-guiding wall can be maintained, and means including a screw conveniently accessible from one end of said centerplait folder for effectingan adjustment of said curved fabric-guiding Wall.

RUDOLPH J. SAILER. 

